[Pittsburg City Paper] When Robert Ross has to use the cleaning solution OxyCide as part of his job as a housekeeping employee at UPMC Magee-Women's Hospital, it's not a pleasant experience.

"It burns my eyes, it makes them water. It burns my throat," says Ross. "The best way to describe it is it's like working with onions. You have no relief, unless you take a break and go some place that's well ventilated so you can get some air."

OxyCide, a relatively new hospital-cleaning product, was selected as the primary cleaning solution in nearly 20 UPMC facilities last spring. Since that time, some employees say they and their co-workers have experienced a number of adverse side effects when using the product.

"A lot of my co-workers have complained about respiratory issues, like they were having trouble breathing. A lot of them would complain about their eyes being irritated," says Justin Sheldon, a housekeeper at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. "I'm concerned about the health effects that this product poses to not only my coworkers, but to the patients."

Last month, Sheldon filed a complaint about the hospital's use of OxyCide with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a federal agency that regulates workplace safety. Officials at OSHA's Pittsburgh Area Office tell City Paper that it "opened an inspection" of UPMC on Jan. 22...(Continue reading)